Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/176

160 are the contituent parts of a parliament, the king, the lords piritual and temporal, and the commons. Parts, of which each is o neceary, that the conent of all three is required to make any new law that hall bind the ubject. Whatever is enacted for law by one, or by two only, of the three is no tatute; and to it no regard is due, unles in matters relating to their own privileges. For though, in the times of madnes and anarchy, the commons once paed a vote, “that whatever is enacted or declared for law by the commons in parliament aembled hath the force of law; and all the people of this nation are concluded thereby, although the conent and concurrence of the king or houe of peers be not had thereto;” yet, when the contitution was retored in all it’s forms, it was particularly enacted by tatute 13 Car. II. c. 1. that if any peron hall maliciouly or adviedly affirm, that both or either of the houes of parliament have any legilative authority without the king, uch peron hall incur all the penalties of a praemunire.

III.&ensp; are next to examine the laws and cutoms relating to parliament, thus united together and conidered as one aggregate body.

power and juridiction of parliament, ays ir Edward Coke is o trancendent and abolute, that it cannot be confined, either for caues or perons, within any bounds. And of this high court he adds, it may be truly aid “” It hath overeign and uncontrolable authority in making, confirming, enlarging, retraining, abrogating, repealing, reviving, and expounding of laws, concerning matters of all poible denominations, eccleiatical, or temporal, civil, military, maritime, or criminal: this being the place where that abolute depotic power, which mut in all governments reide omewhere, is entruted by the contitution of thee kingdoms. All